I like the way the team has been drafting in recent years. That momentum needs to keep rolling.

I'm fearing that Miles Austin may never get back to where he once was, as nagging injuries seem to continue hampering him. Wes Welker may be fools gold to any team that does not have Brady or Peyton Manning as their QB, just my opinion of course.

IDK I wouldnt put the success of welker on the QB... Most of his yardage is after the catch. Dude makes people miss... which is probly has more to do with play design than tom bradys skill.

But i guess if we cant get Hawkins in space we probly couldnt get welker there either.

But i guess if we cant get Hawkins in space we probly couldnt get welker there either.

That is pretty much what I was getting at. The "read and call" aces like Brady and Manning are getting fewer in today's NFL. Welker is a shining example of what people refer to as a "product of the system" type of player. Not to take anything away from Wes, he plays hard. But, they could find another reciever with similar skills to his for a fraction of what he would command by staying on the Pats roster.

www.nepatriotsdraft.com has a pretty good break down of the main WR free agents this year. Its viewed from the point of view of the patriots, but the info on each is still good.

Quote:

WR Danny Amendola, Rams

Amendola isn’t the biggest or fastest wide receiver, but his savvy route running could make him a younger, cheaper alternative to impending free agent Wes Welker, a fellow Texas Tech alum. While he is not quite as quick as Welker (10.6 yards per reception and an average of 4.1 gained after the catch compared to Welker’s 12.0 and 6.0), Amendola caught an impressive 66.3% of passes thrown towards him with just two drops on the season (Welker caught 70.2% but dropped a league-leading nineteen passes.) One cause for concern is Amendola’s injury history, which included a broken collarbone this season.

The 27 year-old Amendola is six years younger than Welker; he makes a lot of sense considering New England’s recent youth movement, as well as the money they already have tied up in Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez, and Brandon Lloyd.

WR Donnie Avery, Colts

The St. Louis Rams shocked many onlookers back in 2008 when they made Donnie Avery the top wide receiver selected in his draft class; the Rams were evidently blown away by Avery’s combination of collegiate production and incomprehensible Pro Day results (4.27 in the 40-yard dash, 3.91 seconds in the short shuttle, 6.3 seconds in the cone drill, 37.5″ vertical.)

In 2008 and 2009, Avery was productive, averaging 50 catches and over 600 yards per season; however, his career was eventually threatened by a devastating knee injury suffered against New England during the 2010 preseason. The injury took essentially two seasons to recover from (he caught just three passes in 2011), but Avery rebounded by catching 62 passes this season for 793 yards (including playoffs.)

Avery’s speed could potentially help New England enhance their downfield passing game; however, he is a low-percentage receiver with a propensity for drops, having caught just 52.5% of his targets on the season and miffing fourteen potential catches.

WR Brian Hartline, Dolphins

Hartline, a 2009 fourth-round pick out of Ohio State, emerged as one of the most targeted receivers in the league this season, catching 74 passes on 118 throws in his direction (62.7%). The receiver gave New England some difficulty in both matchups with the Dolphins last season, catching five passes for 84 yards in week thirteen and five passes for 69 yards in the season finale.

Signing Hartline would weaken Miami’s offense and potentially provide New England with a deep threat; the receiver caught 13/25 deep throws for 421 yards and one touchdown this season. However, it may be risky to pay a possession receiver with only one season of production; last year Hartline caught just 35/66 passes (53%) with seven dropped passes. He has caught just two total touchdowns over the past two seasons and is not considered a threat after the catch, averaging just 3.4 yards after catch per reception.

WR Randy Moss, 49ers

The case for Randy Moss as a member of the New England Patriots can be easily made by reflecting upon his incredible production with the team from 2007-2009. New England’s offense lacks a tall receiver with the ability to get open downfield on a consistent basis, which is Moss’ specialty. He struggled through a weak 2010 campaign after being traded by the Patriots in midseason; upon being placed on waivers by the Minnesota Vikings, no teams aside from the Tennessee Titans put in a claim on Moss.

The future Hall of Famer sat out the 2011 season before returning to San Francisco as a member of the 49ers this season, where he was productive in limited time, catching 28/51 passes for 434 yards and three touchdowns (15.5 yards per reception.)

It appears that Bill Belichick has moved on from Moss, but nonetheless, re-signing bringing him back into the fold would be exciting, even if he turns 36 in February.

WR Steve Smith, Rams

Smith was on the field for just 181 snaps this season, catching 14/24 passes thrown his way. The season is the second straight disappointing performance since undergoing microfracture surgery in his knee following an injury sustained while playing with the New York Giants in 2010. However, at 27 years old, it’s possible that Smith could eventually recoup some of the athleticism that made him the 51st overall pick back in 2007 or one of the most dangerous slot receivers in the league back in 2009, when he caught 107 passes for 1,220 yards and seven touchdowns.

New England could likely sign Smith to a non-guaranteed one-year contract as inside depth; the receiver’s learning curve could be short after learning Kevin Gilbride’s difficult option-route offense in New York, which features some of the same concepts as Josh McDaniels’ scheme.

WR Mike Wallace, Steelers

Quite a few rumors prior to the 2012 NFL Draft had New England trading their first-round selection for Wallace, then a restricted free agent. The 26 year-old is considered one of the fastest, most dynamic receivers in the league, but held out this season and upon returning didn’t appear as critical to Pittsburgh’s offensive scheme as anticipated: he gained just 836 yards on the season, compared to 1,193 in 2011 and 1,257 in 2010. His yards per catch have been declining each of the past three seasons as well.

While Wallace would certainly inject some youth into New England’s receiver corps, it’s likely that his contract demands will prevent him from ending up as a member of the Patriots considering the money already invested in Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez.

This season, adding Wallace is wishful thinking at best, especially because he is reportedly seeking a deal with an average annual value of $10 million or more.

If Randy Moss was willing to play a mentoring role to AJ I would not mind that signing the rewards could outweigh the risks. I doubt he would be though since he is the self proclaimed GOAT WR.

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Quote:

We asked him about the time he fumbled without being hit and the time he threw an interception without being pressured and the other pick he threw -- under pressure but stupidly off his back foot toward double coverage. All of that happened on three consecutive possession, a 10-minute fusillade of fail that turned a one-possession game into a blowout loss...

We could swing a deal for him and even if you don't renegotiate his deal the 7.7 million is not that bad seeing as how we have signed free agents to be our #2 WR in the past to 4 year 28 million dollar deals.

The guy is bigger than Maclin, and even though he gets a bad wrap for drops his targets to catches ratio is higher than Maclin's.

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"I don't care if it's rock, paper, scissors or a race to the car I do what I can to win" - Tyler Eifert

We could swing a deal for him and even if you don't renegotiate his deal the 7.7 million is not that bad seeing as how we have signed free agents to be our #2 WR in the past to 4 year 28 million dollar deals.

The guy is bigger than Maclin, and even though he gets a bad wrap for drops his targets to catches ratio is higher than Maclin's.

Swap out of the 2nd round entirely for both Heyward Bey + McFadden, spend the rest of the draft on LB/S/OL help.........I'M LOVIN' IT !!!!!!!

DHB got benched because of his drops, and he always seems to have nagging injuries. Watching him play this season, seeing all the horrible drops and missed opportunities, I just can't get behind him coming here.

Maclin is the best option on the OPs list IMO.
More consistent and still very young relative to his experience.

Good post and that's a nice list of WR's.
I like a few of those cats Benn,Maclin,Washngton, and Burleson but to call Hartline a bum is assinine.
Hartline may command to much money anyways but his production speaks for itself.

Since the Bengals don't have any particular NEED in the first round, they should steal Victor Cruz from the Giants with their first round pick, who's a RFA. Not like the Giants have the cap space to compete with any offer the Bengals give anyway. Then they draft a RB with the Oakland 2nd rounder, and pow.. the Bengals offense is mighty strong looking. Just a C from being amazing (which may be Robinson if he shows up to camp with some extra muscle built on..)

__________________10 Years of Head Coaching has accumulated to one nugget of pure knowledge: "Losing is bad." 10 more years of Marvin!

12 years of Head Coaching has accumulated to one more nugget of pure knowledge: "We gotta play better." 12 more years of Marvin!

100-96-2 all time, 0-6 in the postseason... all you need to know about Marvin Lewis.

Since the Bengals don't have any particular NEED in the first round, they should steal Victor Cruz from the Giants with their first round pick, who's a RFA. Not like the Giants have the cap space to compete with any offer the Bengals give anyway. Then they draft a RB with the Oakland 2nd rounder, and pow.. the Bengals offense is mighty strong looking. Just a C from being amazing (which may be Robinson if he shows up to camp with some extra muscle built on..)

I wondered the same thing, but I didn't know if it would be possible to keep AJ, Victor, Dalton, Atkins, and MJ with all the contracts that we are going to have to give them. I like the thinking too but I just wonder about the expense. Do teams still have capologists? If so the FO better wake theirs up and get them crunching numbers.

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Sometimes it makes we want to laugh. Sometimes I want to take my toaster into the bath. - Mark Hoppus